


Season 1 Episode 4

by ghoulaesthetics (astraielle)



Series: Cat Ryder vs. The Universe [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, ryder has a cruuuuuuush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-15 05:46:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11799678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astraielle/pseuds/ghoulaesthetics
Summary: "...The point was, being around him too long seemed to be taking a toll on her health. Hell, sometimes she’d even start sweating if he decided to stand too close--maybe she was allergic to the perfumes he wore? Not that they smelled bad or anything, but still, it was possible."





	Season 1 Episode 4

**Author's Note:**

> from the flower prompt list on tumblr once more--  
> "Gladiolus- you pierce my heart for your ryder and jaal"  
> how could i resist? pre-relationship, obviously. a rare glimpse into how cat deals with actual feelings of affection. 
> 
> also, peebs & cat are the kind of friends who shouldnt be left together unsupervised.

Cat sat at the rec room table, hands folded like she was scheming something and eyes intently focused straight ahead of her.

She wasn’t scheming anything, but she was deep enough in thought that she looked almost ready to kill something. She wasn’t going to, of course, especially considering that the scene in her line of sight was a ping-pong match between Liam and Jaal. The Angara apparently had something similar, though she couldn’t recall the exact name, and the friendly match had soon evolved into a heated competition. It was entertaining, to say the least. 

Her eyes kept moving back to Jaal, without her really realizing it either. He was... Well. He was definitely heading into ‘friend’ territory, after a somewhat uncertain start. Liam seemed to like his company a lot, and he had good taste in people. But something was slightly off in her relationship with Jaal, and it wasn’t really anything he did either. At least, not consciously. But when he looked at her too hard or long she felt like she was having a small heart attack, or at least some form of weak palpitations. SAM was oddly quiet on the matter. She wasn’t about to ask for his help though; the AI got a bit too much of a kick from poking fun at her, and she’d rather deal with possible terminal health issues on her own. 

The point was, being around him too long seemed to be taking a toll on her health. Hell, sometimes she’d even start sweating if he decided to stand too close--maybe she was allergic to the perfumes he wore? Not that they smelled  _bad_  or anything, but still, it was possible. 

“What’s shakin’ with my favourite messy bitch?” Peebee’s entrance made her jump. The Asari slid into the seat next to her and linked her hands around one of Cat’s arms, pressing her head close to hers. She was trying to follow her line of sight, and it wasn’t hard to see where it led. 

“I’m considering the likelihood of a perfume allergy.” 

“You’re staring at Jaal is what you’re doing.” She teased. 

Cat’s eyes widened and she elbowed Peebee in the side. Not hard, but she had pointy elbows and it probably did hurt a bit, if the grunt was anything to go by. “Shut your hell mouth,” she hissed. “I’m absolutely not doing that.”

“Mmhm. Because it’s totally not like I don’t catch you doing it all the time when you think no one’s watching.” She seemed absolutely smug, and against her will Cat’s face had begun heating up. “And if you elbow me again I’ll actually end you, Ryder.” 

“I invite you to try. I’m like, eighty-seven percent sure that I’ll die of an allergy-related perfume reaction before then anyway.” 

Peebee ‘tsk’d’ disapprovingly. “Am I allowed to ask why or am I gonna get beat up?” 

Cat shrugged. “No promises about the latter, but if you insist--I think it might be the scent he wears? ‘Cause I get kind of sweaty, and my heart rate increases and stuff, sometimes I need to step away--that’s a heart problem right? Or is it a stroke?” She sighed frustratedly. “I can never remember the difference.” 

Beside her, Peebee was snickering. “You seriously _can’t_ be that dumb, Ryder. Like, Goddess help you if you are. But seriously. I refuse to believe the Pathfinder could be someone that stupid.” 

She snorted. “I’m a modern day multifaceted woman. I can be as dumb as I damn well please. But seriously, heart attack or mini strokes?” 

She looked incredulously at her as she pulled back completely. “Holy shit, you weren’t kidding.  _Ryder_.” 

“What?”

“It’s a  _crush_ , dumbass. You  _like_ -like him. Like, it’s feelings.” 

Cat inhaled sharply and looked her square in the eye. “That’s so fucked up. Peebee. I haven’t felt shit for anyone since I was thirteen and liked Kevin Edderson from biology class, and when I found out he was dating Marissa Gardo from chemistry I pushed him down a flight of stairs in a panic.” 

“So your logic for ignoring the fact that you have a crush--which you totally do, by the way--is that you haven’t tried to shove him down the stairs?” 

She shrugged again. “I mean. Yes.”

Peebee shook her head and sighed deeply, apparently still not quite believing that Cat was, well, like that. But she was. Cat genuinely couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt anything more than a brief, passing romantic attraction to anyone. But then again, maybe that was because she’d never allowed herself to, nor had she really allowed anyone else to find her romantically desirable. 

“That’s uh, that’s not really--how that works you know.” 

“Right, because  _you’re_  totally the person most qualified to give me stable romantic advice.” 

Peebee grinned and then dramatically switched into a mock offence. “ _Ouch_ , Ryder, you got me right where it hurts!” She slumped against Cat, pretending to go weak and limp. Cat rolled her eyes at the display, but in an affectionate way. 

“I mean, not to brag, but I have been in steady relationships longer than your entire lifespan.”

“Asshole.” 

“It’s why you keep me around, be honest.” 

“True,” she conceded. “Okay, but let’s say, theoretically, that it  _is_  a crush and I  _like_ -like him.” It was absolutely not theoretical. Peebee was right, but Cat had the power of deep denial and years of practising repression on her side. “What then?”

“You ask him if he likes you and if he does you get together? Is this, like, your first time out of middle school or something?”

“Fuck  _off,_  oh my god,” she laughed. “I’m not doing that. I can’t.”

“Why, scared the great Pathfinder Cat Ryder is gonna get rejected.”

“Actually, yes.” She deadpanned, looking her directly in the eye. 

Peebee looked slightly guilt stricken for a second. “Little bit too real there for a second, Ryder.”

“But is it wrong?”

She made a face at that. “I can’t exactly tell you if it is or not.”

“It’s not.” Still flat and direct. Cat would be lying if she were to say that the way Peebee was squirming under the unsuspected honesty wasn’t greatly funny to her. “And besides, I have a better solution.”

“Which is?” she asked, leaning closer, intrigued. 

“Peebee, I need you to fucking murder me.” 

“Goddess, Ryder,” she muttered, looking like someone who’d dealt with this shit for way too long already, despite only knowing Cat personally for a few months. “I’m not gonna do that, you fucking weirdo.” She unstuck herself from Cat’s side and went towards the doorway. “I’m going to get a drink. When I come back, I need you to act like a normal person for like, fifteen minutes of your life.” 

“Impossible.”

“Fifteen minutes, Ryder!” She called over her shoulder as she left the room. 

At that moment, there was a lull in the ping pong game. Peebee’s yelling had caught Jaal’s attention, too.

“Fifteen minutes for what, Ryder?” He asked, genuinely curious. And  _there_ , there was the weird heart feeling again. She fought down the urge to clutch at her chest in front of him. 

“Oh, nothing much. I’m just begging Peebee to plan my murder. No big deal.”

She hadn’t expected much of a reaction, but when he threw his head back and actually laughed at her deadpan snark, she really thought that this was going to be how she died. Right here, in the rec room, the cause? A beautiful man and his beautiful laugh. 

“Well, just be careful not to make too much of a mess now. I doubt Tann would appreciate the cleaning bill,” he chuckled, before returning to the game with Liam. 

Cat could only nod dumbly, the sick, sort-of-fluttery feeling settling deep into her heart and what she was sure was a noticeable flush colouring her cheeks. 

 _Goddamn, Ryder_ , she thought to herself,  _you really do have it bad._


End file.
